Cognitive Systems Corp. is a Canadian-based company focused on transforming the way the world interacts and uses wireless signals, and expanding the smart home capabilities of consumers.

As the first company to create an accurate and intelligent method to detect motion based on the disruption of WiFi signals, Cognitive Systems needed to ensure they had the correct protections and patents for their groundbreaking technology, called Aura WiFi Motion. Through licensing partnerships with companies like Qualcomm and Marvell, Aura WiFi Motion enables devices to not only ‘see’ motion, but also to connect and automate other smart home devices by motion, and use machine learning and predictive analytics to build a smarter smart home.

After joining forces with Henry Patent Law Firm, Cognitive Systems obtained their first patent allowance within a single year. Today, Cognitive Systems has obtained allowance of an impressive 17 U.S. patents for its creation of technologies that had never been seen in the industry before, including Aura WiFi Motion, and has more than a hundred additional U.S. and international applications in the pipeline.

Searching for a partner with a solid technical foundation

Cognitive Systems wanted to hold the core patents in the new field of WiFi motion, so finding a firm that had an understanding of the significance of what they had created, as well as the tech behind it, was critical.

Before working with Henry Patent Law Firm, founder and CEO Taj Manku had run into difficulties when filing patents for other high-tech companies.

“Most attorneys have little experience working in the the tech industry, so it requires us to go through a lot of additional briefing to help them understand how our technology works, and what will be required to secure a patent,” said Manku.

As a result, Manku was spending too much of his time walking attorneys through the technical intricacies of his innovations.

Henry Patent Law Firm: Bringing a high level of technical expertise to the table

“I’ve worked with many different firms before, and Henry Patent Law Firm is by far the easiest to work with. I would bring them in as part of any new venture going forward!”

Taj MankuChief Executive Officer, Cognitive Systems Corp.

Cognitive Systems is pioneering new applications of radio frequency (RF) technology, a discipline that requires a comprehensive background in both mathematics and physics.

To boost the efficiency of Cognitive Systems’ filing process, Manku needed to hire a patent attorney who could grasp advanced technical concepts with minimal hand-holding — which meant someone with a solid foundation in advanced physics.

So when Manku met Michael Henry, the principal of Henry Patent Law Firm, he was immediately impressed.

“What made Michael stand out was very simple,” Manku said. “When I heard he had a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from MIT, I think that pretty much did it.”

Better yet, Henry Patent Law Firm was committed to bringing in more professionals who shared Michael’s qualifications and commitment to quality, giving Cognitive Systems access to an entire team with the expertise to hit the ground running.

Going with Henry Patent Law Firm was an easy decision, Manku said: “We had no reservations. None whatsoever.”

Securing patent protection in record time

Cognitive Systems benefited from the depth of the technical dialogue they were able to have with the firm’s attorneys.

“One, it’s a cost thing, two, it’s a time thing,” Manku said. “And three, because they understand the underlying physics, the claims became a little bit richer.”

Their patents are very high quality in comparison to other patents I’ve filed in the past.

Henry Patent Law Firm was also highly effective in negotiations with the USPTO’s patent examiners: their responses to the USPTO’s feedback were swift and thorough.

“There was a lot of thought in the first delivery to ensure that it would get us the patent,” Manku said.

Thanks to the firm’s ability to break down complicated concepts when drafting claims, Cognitive Systems was able to secure patent protection in an unprecedentedly short amount of time, with their very first patent allowed within a single year.

“They did magic to make sure our application was submitted and turned around to an accepted patent very quickly,” Manku said.

Building a foundation for long-term collaboration

In the three and a half years since its inception, Cognitive Systems has already taken major steps toward developing a comprehensive patent portfolio. The company’s 17 issued or allowed U.S. patents — and many more in the works — are testament to Henry Patent Law Firm’s effectiveness.

“I’ve worked with many different firms before,” Manku said. “Henry Patent Law Firm is by far the easiest to work with. I would bring them in as part of any new venture going forward!”

About Cognitive Systems Corp.

Founded in 2014, Cognitive Systems Corp. set out on a mission to transform the way the world interacts with and uses wireless signals. Determined to build technology that could detect, examine and interpret all radio frequencies (RF) across the spectrum and use this insight to do more, the co-founders drew on their extensive expertise in silicon design, RF, and encryption to create a unique new way to detect motion with their patented Aura WiFi Motion technology, and direct to consumer smart home device, Aura Home.

Cognitive Systems Corp. is dedicated to continuing to unlock the opportunities that understanding and using wireless signals presents, and using this to develop new technologies for the smart home and beyond.